


Theta Rho

by inatrice



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Roommates, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-21
Updated: 2014-04-21
Packaged: 2018-01-20 05:05:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1497700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inatrice/pseuds/inatrice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Desmond joins a college fraternity with the other moderns.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LudicrousLegacy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LudicrousLegacy/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a birthday present for my wonderful friend Lou! I hope some Claysmond is okay <333

Desmond ‘s arms shook as he clung to the wall of the library. His gaze turned toward the ground about 15 feet below him, but a voice from above distracted him just in time.

“Don’t look down, Desmond!” Clay called to him from the roof. “If you look down you have to start over again.” Desmond looked up this time to see Clay grinning deviously down at him.

An exasperated giggle bubbled out of Desmond, and he pulled himself up the two feet left to reach the roof. Desmond collapsed onto the flat roof, breath heaving, a satisfied smile on his scarred lips. Clay offered a hand to help him stand and he took it. Once he was up, Desmond looked back down over the wall he had just scaled. Clay had chosen the library because the brick was large and certain ones stuck out far enough to be able to climb. Another laugh escaped him as he realized what he’d accomplished, dangerous as it was.

“Congrats, man,” Clay said from behind him, clapping him on the back. “One more step to becoming a full fledged pledge in Theta Rho.” Clay paused before he started laughing. “God, listen to me. I’m a fucking poet.”

The hand resting on Desmond’s shoulder squeezed and Desmond looked away, trying to hide the bit of blush that rose on his cheeks. “Thanks. I’m really excited to be a part of this fraternity,” he replied.

“Glad to hear.” Clay then clapped his hands together. “Ready to start getting moved into the dorm?”

Desmond looked back at the other young man and nodded. “Yeah.”

Clay let out an excited yelp and dashed toward the other side of the building where he leapt off. Desmond stood there, stunned for a moment, thinking certainly Clay wasn’t that reckless, before he ran after him. As he reached the edge, he could see that the library was built into a hill and that the ground was much closer on this end. His heart raced as he followed Clay’s lead and jumped as well. Thanks to some prior experience, he knew how to roll once he hit the ground. His momentum brought him right back up to his feet and he was running after Clay once again.

They ran toward the freshman dorms, leaping over railings and stairs, Clay flipping off of a few things, both of them laughing and whooping across the empty campus. It was about a week before classes were starting. Desmond was still in the freshman dorm, but now that he was a sophomore and getting into a fraternity, he could move anywhere on or off campus.

They made it to the freshman dorm and Desmond led the way up to his room. He had already packed most of his things up, so he and Clay grabbed his bags and boxes and headed to the Theta Rho house. It was one of the smaller frat houses just off campus, the Greek letters painted in a bold red. The fraternity itself wasn’t that large, but his father had been in it when he had attended this university. Yet Desmond didn’t join for him; he had met Clay and then the rest of the people in the fraternity and decided he would join for himself.

Once inside, Desmond could smell food being prepared. The two boys walked past the kitchen where Lucy and Shaun were preparing a welcome lunch for Desmond. Lucy looked up as they walked. “Hey Desmond! Great to see you moving in!”

Desmond shouted a thanks back. Clay stopped and took a few steps backward to look back in the kitchen. “Where are Becca and Daniel?” Just as he asked, two frustrated shouts could be heard from the second floor.

“Daniel just got a PS4,” Shaun said, looking up to the ceiling, clearly annoyed. “What do you think they’re doing?”

Clay laughed and motioned for Desmond to follow him up the stairs. The top floor had two bathrooms and four bedrooms. It had been modified, changing the master bedroom into a separate bedroom and bathroom.

“You’re rooming with me since we’re the newest members. Shaun and Daniel are roomies and Becca and Lucy are as well.” Clay told him. They passed one of the bedrooms and saw Rebecca and Daniel furiously pressing buttons on their controllers. “New pledge is here, guys.”

“I don’t care right now, Kaczmarek!” Daniel retorted, eyes never leaving the screen.

Rebecca looked over momentarily. “Hey Desmond! Good to see you again!” But she looked back at the screen as soon as Daniel yelled her name, laughing as whoever he was playing was killed off.

Clay laughed. “This way, Des.”

Desmond was practically giddy with excitement. This house was amazing, these people were amazing. He was about to be a part of the coolest fraternity he’d ever seen. They reached the bedroom at the end of the hallway and Clay turned to him once they entered, raising his arms to show off the room around him. “Welcome home, man.”

Desmond couldn’t help the stupid grin that sprung up on his lips. He took in Clay’s side of the room, his unkempt bed, his custom made computer, and various band and anime posters that hung on the wall. And then his eyes landed on the empty side of the room that was his to do whatever he wanted to. He walked over to the bed and flopped onto it. “This is fucking awesome, Clay. Thanks for inviting me to join.”

Clay chuckled as he put the rest of Desmond’s things by the bed. “No problem.” The springs on his bed creaked as he sat down. “But hey, don’t think your hazing is over just because you’re all moved in now.” Desmond looked up and over to the other boy. “I’ve got quite a bit planned for you.” Clay said, grinning deviously.


	2. Chapter 2

Desmond started awake when he heard a loud crashing in his ears. Heart racing, all he could do was stare at Clay as he banged two metal pots together. “Wakey, wakey Desmond!!” The other boy sing-songed.

Over the initial shock, Desmond looked at his clock. “Clay, what the fuck? It’s 4:30.” He rubbed his eyes. “We just went to bed two hours ago.”

“You went to bed two hours ago.” Clay said, crossing his arms. The pots looked like some deformed folded up wings. “I’ve been up planning.” Desmond groaned and fell back on the bed, but Clay grabbed his arm and pulled him out of bed. “C’mon Desmond. Time for a shower.”

Dragged down the stairs and out into the middle of the back yard, Desmond was in for another shock. Clay turned on the hose attached to the house. Desmond let out a yelp and shied away from the freezing water. “Clay, I fucking hate you!” he screeched, finally starting to wake up. A few more aggravating minutes and Clay finally turned off the water.  
“All awake and clean now, Dessy boy?” Clay asked, wicked smile on his face.

“Yeah you, douche.” Desmond was trying to glare at the other boy, but Clay’s smile was infectious.

He slapped Desmond on the back. “Okay, let’s go scale the science building!” He took off running without waiting for a reply. Desmond gave an exasperated sigh but couldn’t help the adrenaline fueled smile that pushed him to run after the blond.

Hours later, exhausted and laughing, the two young men made their way to a small café just outside of campus in the small college town that surrounded the university. Desmond practically collapsed into the booth in the back corner of the dining room.

“I’m going to sleep great tonight, holy shit.” He said, his head resting against the cushioned back. He narrowed his eyes at Clay. “If you let me sleep, I suppose.”  
Clay laughed. “Now that we’re roommates, I’m not going to let you sleep for the next week.”

Desmond couldn’t help but blush as his mind drifted toward things that weren’t video games or whatever weird hazing that Clay had planned. It was embarrassing, but he finally had to admit that he had a crush on the other boy, hard. He probably had been since he’d met Clay about 6 months ago during Biology as lab partners. The guy was funny, he was smart, and god damn if he wasn’t pretty good looking too. He had his own ideas and was unabashedly himself, and Desmond couldn’t help but be attracted to his attitude.  
Clay hadn’t broken eye contact after his words, his face turning a bit smug. Desmond could feel himself blush harder, and he threw his arms up on the table and laid his head down. Clay had to know about his crush, he had to.

“Can I help you Desmond?” Clay asked, smile apparent in his voice, although Desmond still had his head down.

“No,” Desmond retorted.

He could hear Clay let out breathy laugh. “Our food is coming, Desmond. You should give the lady some room to put it down.”

Desmond sighed heavily and raised his head, limbs heavy with his exhaustion suddenly catching up with him. He smiled at the waitress who brought their food, saying thank you. He grabbed his sandwich and glanced at Clay as he took a bite. The blond was still staring at him and he looked back down at his plate.

“So why are you making me climb all these buildings?” Desmond asked, desperate for a topic change.

“That’s what every pledge has done since the creation of Theta Rho. We’re just keeping up tradition.” Clay responded, taking a bite of his own sandwich. Desmond nodded, amused at the thought of his father climbing up some of the buildings. “Why? Not having fun doing it?”

“Oh no, I’m having fun.” Desmond said. He looked directly at Clay. “Particularly enjoying the view while I’m climbing.” If Clay knew about the crush, he might as well have fun with it.

“Maybe I should make you climb first then, so you can actually concentrate,” Clay threw back immediately.

Desmond smirked, but he felt his brain scramble for a retort. Clay was flirting back? What did it mean?

Clay laughed again. “You’re so cute when you blush.”

Then there was silence in Desmond’s head. He looked back up to Clay. “Cute?”

“Yes, Desmond. Cute.” Clay said, trying hard not to keep laughing. “Hurry up and finish your food so we can keep climbing. You have to climb every building by the end of the week.”

Heart racing, Desmond wolfed down the rest of his sandwich.

Clay thought he was cute. But was this just friends saying cute, or was he actually saying he was cute? Desmond was so caught up in his thoughts that he hardly replied to Clay’s babbling as they headed toward the Math building. As Clay had joked earlier, he let Desmond take the lead for this building. It didn’t look like it would be too hard. He had been paying attention these last couple days and began charting out where to climb. After a few seconds he had an idea of what path to take and began climbing. Clay followed his lead, not saying a word.

The math building was the highest they had yet climbed, though the structure of the building itself made it easy to climb. About halfway up, Desmond found himself a bit stuck, any other places to put his hand we’re just slightly out of reach. He looked over and saw Clay following a different path. “Close, Dessy, but not quite.” He smiled at the other boy and continued toward the top.

Desmond clenched his jaw in determination. He went back a few steps and readjusted his path before he finally made his way up to the top. Clay stood there smiling as Desmond put his hands on his knees to try and catch his breath.

“Can we be done today?” He asked, trying to hide how hard he was breathing. “We’ve climbed four buildings, and I only got two hours of sleep.”

Clay put his bottom lip out. “Aww, is baby getting tired?”

“Yes,” Desmond retorted. He stood up straight and could feel his limbs shaking. “See?” He held out trembling hand for Clay to see.

“All right. Let’s get back to the house then.” Clay walked to another part of the roof and found an easy way down before leading Desmond back to the frat house.

Once they were back at the house, Desmond walked straight into the living room and plopped down on one of the couches. Clay had stopped in the kitchen to talk to Shaun.

“Stuck making dinner again?” he joked.

“Shut up. I don’t see you stepping up to make anything,” Shaun replied bitterly.

“Hey!” Clay laughed. “I’m pledging Desmond in. I’m busy!” Desmond smiled as his eyes fell closed. They popped open again when his stomached growled loudly.

Clay looked into the living room. “Don’t worry Des, dinner will be done soon.”

“Shut the fuck up, Clay,” Desmond called, a small blush creeping up on his face. His eyes drooped again, his head nodding forward this time. On the edge of his consciousness, he thought he heard someone with Shaun’s voice asking about a crush. And then a suspiciously Clay voice saying it was adorable and that he was extremely flattered. The Shaun voice asked if it was going to be a thing, and then a few monkeys came up to him and tried to serve him banana pudding.

The next thing he knew, Clay was shaking him awake and shoving a plate of spaghetti into his hands. “Eat up, Des,” he said with a kind smile. “You’ve got one more building to climb tonight. And this one’s my favorite.”


	3. Chapter 3

Desmond followed behind the blond hesitantly, his aching body screaming to go back to the house and lay down, but he trudged on because this was important to Clay. Thankfully, the building wasn’t far from the house. It was the performing arts center, easily the most beautiful building on the entire campus.

It was late enough now that the sun was low in the sky and the sky was all shades of red, pink, and purple. The climb was the easiest of the day. Clay led the way to the roof and helped pull Desmond up to where he needed to be. They walked along the roof to the highest point and then Clay sat down with his legs hanging over the edge. Desmond felt his stomach clench just a bit as he glanced over the side. Despite this, he sat down next to Clay.

“What do you think of the view?” Clay asked without taking his eyes off the setting sun.

Desmond took a few seconds to look around. There was a full view of the campus here. The full green trees, the wide open courtyard, and the sun painting it all in shades of warmth. “It’s beautiful Clay. Really.”

Clay chuckled and looked over at him. “I’m glad you’re not afraid to say things like that. It’s so much more genuine when you’re not afraid of sounding …” He trailed off.

“Gay?” Desmond finished. He laughed as well. “I am not afraid to sound gay. Man, I just like who I like. People are people.”

Clay nodded silently, a serious look on his face. “Yeah. You’re right.” He looked over and smiled at Desmond. “Fuck being afraid to sound gay.” Desmond returned his smile wholeheartedly.

They watched the sunset together, and Desmond felt a camaraderie forming that wasn’t there before. It took all of his strength not to grab Clay’s hand, but he didn’t want to push his luck. For all he knew Clay wasn’t interested at all and right now he wanted to enjoy what he had with the other boy. This dumb crush wasn’t worth ruining this friendship.

At least, maybe not yet.

~

The week trudged on, Desmond pushing himself to meet every test Clay threw at him, while adjust to his new life in the frat house. He started taking up responsibilities and started helping Shaun make dinner, and help Lucy clean. Rebecca helped him set up his computer … and improve what he had. Toward the end of the week Daniel opened up enough to let him play some multiplayer with him on the PS4. It was all Desmond could ask for, and the friendships he was building were something he had been looking for his entire life.

Finally on Saturday, Clay led Desmond to the top of the science building. It was one of the hardest climbs, but he made it. As he pulled himself up onto the roof, Clay was there to greet him with a giant smile and a bear hug. “You did it man!” He pounded on Desmond’s back, good naturedly. “You’re a full-fledged member of Theta Rho!” He pushed Desmond back and held him at arm’s length. “Congrats. I’m actually pretty proud of you.” He paused and looked a bit embarrassed, taking his hands off of Desmond’s shoulders. “A day early and everything. I’m pretty impressed at your dedication.”

Desmond shrugged it off. “So far, you guys are the best thing that’s happened to me. I wanted to make an effort to make sure you knew I was serious.”

Clay chuckled. “Glad to hear that. And it’s been noticed around the house.” He slapped Desmond’s shoulder. “C’mon, let’s get you back as a full member of Theta Rho.”


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the house was gathered in the living room when they arrived back at the house. Desmond was surprised to see everyone waiting for him but then Lucy held out a white shirt to him.

“Congrats, Desmond,” she said with a big smile on her face. “We all really appreciate how much you wanted to be a part of our fraternity, so we made you a dumb shirt.”

“It’s not dumb,” Rebecca threw her hands out to the side, sounding annoyed as Desmond took the shirt from Lucy. “We put some effort into it.”

“Yeah minimal.” Lucy retorted.

Desmond held the tanktop up to his torso. It was the right size and had the Theta and Rho Greek letters painted on to the chest. He then noticed a small “lol” painted in the middle of the Theta. Desmond couldn’t help but laugh, he was so happy.

“Lucy thought the ‘lol’ was necessary so you knew we weren’t too serious.” Shaun told him, arms folding across his chest, looking at Lucy pointedly.

“Oh my god, shut up!”

Desmond just smiled at all of them. “No, it’s perfect.” He balled the shirt up and headed to the group of people in front of him with open arms. “I love it, I really do.” He tried to hug everyone in one go, but his arms weren’t that long. Thankfully he felt the others fill in the group hug, much to Shaun and Daniel’s dismay. Desmond didn’t care. He was so happy to be accepted by this group of awesome people.

~

Days passed and Desmond could feel himself falling into place within the house. Every passing day seemed to bring him and his housemates closer together. As the weeks pressed on, Desmond found himself to be extremely content around all of them. And thankfully enough, he was at ease around Clay. The two of them grew close as friends and it was great. It was perfect.

Half way through the school year, Desmond felt a change in Clay, though it wasn’t bad. He seemed to get closer physically. There were more random touches, more random hugs. Once in a while, if it was just the two of them watching a movie in the living room, Clay would sit just a bit closer than normal friends would have.

When Winter break rolled around, most of the others went home for the holiday. It was just Clay, Desmond and Daniel in the house, though Daniel seemed to always be out with one excuse or another. Clay’s change had affected Desmond, and he was a bit frustrated by it all. If anything it seemed to him that Clay was taking advantage of his crush. He wanted to confront Clay about it, but was always too nervous, or didn’t think it was the right time. So he stayed silent and tried to play his video games and study.

Three days into the break, Desmond found himself home alone, and turned on Netflix on the communal ps3 in the living room. He settled in to watch a sappy movie since he wasn’t in the best of moods. Just after he started it, Clay came into the house.

“Desmond!” He said happily, a slightly tipsy smile on his face.

“Hi Clay,” Desmond said, pausing his movie. “Did you have fun at the sorority party?”

“I guess.” Clay replied, sauntering into the living room. “Only the booze was good.” He flopped down next to Desmond. “Probably would have been more fun if you were there.” Clay turned his head to look at Desmond.

Desmond tried not to roll his eyes. “You’re drunk.”

“Just a bit tipsy!” Clay reasoned. “I only had two beers … and a screwdriver.”

Desmond shrugged. “Okay. Cool. Can I watch my movie?”

“I can’t watch with you?” Clay said, actually sounding a little hurt.

“Not if you’re going to keep acting the way you have lately!” Desmond kept his eyes stuck to the TV. His heart started beating hard. He knew what Clay was about to ask.  
“What do you mean, how I’ve been acting lately?”

Desmond sighed and steeled himself. Sure Clay might be a little altered, but now was as good a time as any. “Look, Clay. I have a pretty big crush on you, in case it wasn’t obvious to you.” He closed his eyes. “I don’t know what you’ve been thinking lately, but it just seems like you’re trying to torture me a bit. All these little touches and hugs and borderline cuddles.” He looked over to the other boy. “So I guess. Do you like me or not? Because I’m going to need you to back up a little bit if you don’t.”

Clay looked down at his hands. “Yeah. Okay.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve been struggling a bit to try to decide if I did like you back. So I’ve been trying to see if I could get close to you.” He glanced at Desmond. “My brain has been thinking that I do like you. I mean, you’re great. You’re – fuck you’re everything I look for in a girl. Is that bad to say? I figured if I could see if I could get passed the physical part, which is what has been making me nervous.” He looked at Desmond full on. “But so far, I really haven’t minded it. And of course what you said on top of the performing arts center that evening really stuck with me. ‘People are people.’ I should have checked with you first and I’m sorry.” He moved a bit so his whole body was facing Desmond. “Can I start over? Can I see if I can be good enough to maybe be your boyfriend?”

Desmond felt his heart twist a bit. “Yeah Clay. I think I’d like that a lot.” He reached out and grabbed the other boy’s hand. “Can I try something?” He asked quietly, also turning toward Clay. The blond nodded nervously. Desmond felt himself blush and before he could psych himself out, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Clay’s. After a few heart pounding seconds, Clay leaned into the kiss and returned it rather enthusiastically. They stopped after a few minutes, Desmond not wanting to press his luck. “What did you think.”

“I can do this.” Clay said with a goofy, almost blissful smile on his face. “I can definitely do this.” He pressed himself against Desmond, and Desmond put his arm over Clay’s shoulders. “Now let’s watch this movie, huh?”

“Yeah. Sounds great.” Desmond replied, and they settled down together as Desmond pressed play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And to top it all off, the [artwork](http://hisako87x.tumblr.com/private/83191055531/tumblr_n4a081HjXU1r1t7vi) I commissioned to go along with the fic!


End file.
